Tension mechanism for em broidering-machin es



(No Model.)

J. A. GROEBLI. TENSION MECHANISM FOR EMBROIDERING MACHINES.

No. 556,144. Patented Mar. 10, 1896.

. MATTQRNEU UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH ARNOLD GROEBLI, OF .NEVV YORK, N..Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE KURSHEEDT MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF NEXV YORK.

TENSION MECHANISM FOR EMBROlDERlNG-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 556,144, dated March 10, 1896.

Application fil d March 18, 1896. Serial No. 542,161. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOSEPH ARNOLD GROE- BLI, a resident of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tension Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to tension mechanism especially applicable to embroidering-machines, although it may be used in connection with other characters of machines and for other purposes and for performing other functions.

My invention consists in mechanism preferably operated with the aid of a pattern device for exerting a variable tension upon the threads employed for embroiderin g by an embroidering-machine. This mechanism may, however, as aforesaid, be used for various other purposes besides the purposes herein set forth.

My invention will be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a tension mechanism embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a detail side view of a portion of the tension-controlling rod. Fig. at is a detail front View of the same. Fig. 5 is a detail sectional plan view of parts of the tension-controlling rod and the lifter and the locking-piece, the section being taken on line 5 5 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 6 is an edge view of the cam-wheel for actuating the lifter, showing the crossing of the cam-paths thereon.

The general scheme of operation of my mechanism as applied to the production of tension upon the threads in an embroideringmachine is as follows: The threads passing through, the needles are engaged with suitable retarding devices which will operate to retard the thread to a greater or less degree, and thus produce the tension upon the thread. The degree of retardation is preferably effected in my mechanism by a jacquard,which controls the same, the tension being increased or decreasedfrom the extreme degrees in what I term a step-by-step manner, the step-bystep motion occurring at predetermined intervals, determined by a jacquard. So, therefore, in general terms it may be stated that I produce, with the aid of the jacquard, a step-bystep motion of the tension-controlling rod, which influences the retarding mechanism to a greater or less degree, so that the tension 011 the threads is dependent upon the step-bystep motion of the tension-controlling rod, as will be hereinafter more fully explained.

In the drawings, A represents a suitable tension device proper for the threads, which device is shown as consisting of a roughened tension-cylinder around which the threads are passed and which is turned by the friction of the threads thereon. This cylinder A is carried by a shaft a, which is journaled in a bracket 1) and provided with a frictionwheel 0.

It will be quite obvious that if the rotation of the tension-cylinder A be retarded the tension upon the threads passing around the same will become greater, and that the tension will be at all times proportional to the retardation of the cylinder A. This retardation is preferably effected by means of-a brake cl, which is carried in a pivoted lever e, which lever is pivoted at f to a suitable bracket 9 and has its free end connected to the tensioncontrolling rod B. Motion of this tensioncontrolling rod up and down will cause the brake d to bear against the friction-wheel a, so that the degree of retardation of the tension-cylinder A may be directly efiected by the position of the tension-controlling rod. The connection between the free end of the lever e and the tension-controlling rod is best effected by means of a spring h, which is connected to thefree end of the lever e and to a collar 2' on the tension-controlling rod. This tension-controlling rod is preferably placed in a vertical position, and is guided by its upper end in a bracket j, mounted upon the framework J of the machine, which bracket preferably forms the sole means of support for said rod, so as to allow a slight lateral play to the lower end thereof, for purposes which will hereinafter appear. A spring is interposed between the bracket j and a head or collar 1 on the tension-controlling rod in order to compensate for the tension of the springs h, which, it will be noticed, exert their tension in a direction opposite to the direction of the spring 75. The tensioncontrolling rod is thus freely suspended in a vertical position and the spring 71; is sufiiciently strong not only to overcome the tension of the springs h but also the weight of the tension-controlling rod B, so that it may be moved up or down and the lower end thereof may have a slight lateral play.

I will now proceed to describe the means for lifting and lowering the tension-controlling rod, and will later describe the shifting mechanism for the rod and the locking mechanism.

The lower end of the rod B (referring particularly to Fig. 3) is serrated upon one edge to form teeth m n, the teeth a being the terminal teeth of the series and being pivoted and held in their normal position by suitable means, as coiled springs 0, for reasons which will be hereinafter described. Pivoted in a position adjacent to the lower end of the tension-eontrolling rod 15 is a lifter 0, shown in the present instance as a bell-crank lever pivoted at D and free to swing on its pivot. One of the arms, 1, of this bell-crank lever is provided with a toe or stud r, Fig. 5, and the other arm, S, of this bell-crank lever is provided with a pin 3, which enters a can1-groove e in a cam-wheel E, carried by a rotating shaft F. The lower part of the rod B is also provided with stop-pins or stops 6 t, which stoppins are adapted to abut against the locking pins '14 u of the locking-piece U, carried upon the frame J, and limit the upward and downward movement of the rod B.

Referring now to Fig. 5, it will be observed that the tension-controllin g rod Bis connected to a shifter G. This shifter is shown in the present instance as comprising a shifting-rod G, which is rigidly connected with a block it, in which the lower end of rod B is adapted to reciprocate. The shifting-rod itself is also adapted to be reciprocated from a Jacquard device II in any suitable manner, and when so reciprocated operates to shift the lower end of the tension-controlling bar laterally. Normally, when the tension is at the desired degree, the tension-controlling rod is in e11- gagement with the lockingpiece U, the pins u u thereof entering the spaces between the teeth m n of the tension controlling bar. This looks the bar from up-and-down movement. When at the predetermined time that it is desired to raise or lower the tension-coir trolling rod to alter the pressure of the brake (Z upon the frictionavheel c, the shifter G is actuated from a Jacquard device to cause the shifting-bar to be moved in sulliciently far to cause the tension controlling rod 13 to be moved laterally in a direction at right angles to the position of the rod shown in Fig. 4. By this movement the tension-eontrollin g rod is freed from engagement with the lockingpiece, and at the same time a tooth on n of the tension-controlling rod is brought into engagement with the toe r of the lifter. As the teeth of the tension-controlling rod are ongaged with the toe of the lifter, the tensioncontrolling rod is raised or lowered by the lifter according to whether the engagement with the lifter takes place previous to its upward or its downward motion, it being understood that at the end of such motion the bar will be disengaged from the lifter and again engaged with the loeking-piece. This is due to the fact that the shaft F is constantly in revolution, and the elfect thereof will be to rock the lifter on its pivot to elfect the lifting or lowering of the tension controlling rod. These operations may be timed by the Jacquard mechanism to take place with any or every stitch, so that for each stitch the tension of the thread may be properly regulated.

The spring-pressed or yielding teeth a are for the purpose of allowing the toe 4 of the lifter to vibrate freely to prevent breakage in case the bar is in either of its extreme adjusted positions and the toe of the lifter is engaged in either of the spaces y to adjust it fartl1er-that is to say, suppose that the toe 0' of the lifter is in the lowermost space 1 or one of the extreme adjusted positions, then if the lifter is going down a farther downward movement is imparted to the tension-controlling rod by the toe r abutting against the lower solid wall of the space 1 but if the toe 9' be going upward then the lowermost tooth a would be pushed back against the tension of its spring without imparting any movement to the tension-controlling bar, which is then in its highest position and could not be moved any higher without breaking the stops t or some of the parts of the device. The same operation is followed in connection with the top tooth or, except the reverse movements of the too "1' will bring about the effects described in connection with the lower tooth n.

Thus it will be seen that the Jacquard mechanism, the lifter and the shifting device all go to constitute the means for automatically, so to speak, adjusting the tension-controllin g red by a step-by-step movement from the extreme positions at predetermined intervals.

\Vhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a tension mechanism, the combination of a tension device proper, a tension-controlling rod therefor and means for adjusting the tension-controlling rod with the aid of a J aequard device at predetermined intervals, as and for the purposes set forth.

2. I11 a tension mechanism, the combination of a tension device proper, a step-by-step tension-controlling rod co-operating therewith and means for throwing the tension-controL ling rod with the aid of a Jacquard device, in and out of operation, substantially as described.

3. In a tension mechanism, the combination of a tension device proper, a retarding device therefor, a tension-controlling rod, a yielding connection between the tension-controlling rod and the retarding device, and means for IIO adjusting the tension-controlling rod with the aid of a jacquard, substantially as described.

4. In a tension mechanism, the combination of a tension device proper, a jacquard-adjusted tension-controlling rod, and a retarding device operatively connected with the tension-controlling rod and with the tension device proper.

5. The combination of a tension-controlling rod adjusted step by step between the extreme positions, together with a lifter and means for engaging the tension-controlling rod with the lifter by aid of a jacquard at each step of the adjustment and for engaging said tension-controlling rod with a stop when said rod is not in engagement with the lifter.

6. The combination of a tension-cylinder, a friction device connected therewith, a step- -by-step tension-controlling rod and a brake connected to the tension-controlling rod and in operative relation to the friction device, as described.

7 The combination of a tension-controlling rod, a lifter, and a jacquard-operated shifting mechanism. for shifting the tensioncontrolling rod into engagement with the lifter, substantially as described.

8. The combination of a toothed tensioncontrolling rod, a lifter and means for engaging the teeth of the tension-controlling rod with the lifter, substantially as described.

9. The combination with a lifter, of a tension-controlling rod provided with teeth, one or more ofsaid teethbeing pivoted and springpressed, and means for effecting the engagement between the tension-controlling rod and lifter, substantially as described.

10. The combination of a spring-suspended tension-controlling rod provided with teeth, of a lifter, and means for engaging the tension-controlling rod with the lifter, substantially as described.

11. The combination of a lifter and a tension-controllin g rod, a locking device for locking the tension-controlling rod, and means for effecting the engagement of the tensioncontrolling rod with the lifter at different points on said rod, and with the lockingmechanism for engaging said rod when it is not in engagement with the lifter, substantially as described.

12. The combination of a lifter and a tension-controlling rod, a locking device for locking the tension-controlling rod, and means for efiecting the engagement at different points of the tension-controlling rod with the lifter and with the locking mechanism alternately, and stops for limiting the movement of the tension-controlling rod, substantially as described.

13. The combination of a retarding device proper, a pivoted brake in operative relation thereto, a step-by-step tension-controlling rod and a connection between the pivoted brake and the step-by-step tension-controlling rod, and means for adjusting the tension-controlling rod with the aid of a jacquard.

14. The combination of a spring-supported tension-controlling rod, means for adjusting the tension-controlling rod step by step with the aid of a Jacquard device, and a locking mechanism for locking the tension-bar at each step during the step-by-step adjustment.

1 5. The combination of a suspended tension-controlling rod, means for adjusting the tension-bar step by step, a locking device and means for effecting the adjustment of the bar and for swinging the bar into engagement with the locking device, both of the said lastnamed means being operated with the aid of a Jacquard device, substantially as described.

16. The combination of a suspended tension-controlling rod provided with teeth, a lifter adapted for engagement with the teeth, a cam for actuating the lifter and Jacquard mechanism for efiecting the engagement between the lifter and the teeth of the tension controlling rod, substantially as described.

17. In an embroidering-machine, a regularly-moving piece adapted to engage on its to-and-fro movement with a step-by-step adjustable piece adjusted but one step between the extreme positions for each movement of the regularly-moving piece, a pattern mechanism for so engaging it at the desired time so that the position of such adjustable piece may be automatically determined.

18. The combination of a lifter, a tensioncontrolling rod and a flexible connection between the tension-controlling rod and lifter.

19. The combination of a lifter, and a toothed tension-controlling rod with which the lifter is adapted to engage, one or more of the teeth of the rod being yielding, substantially as described.

JOSEPH ARNOLD GROEBLI.

\Vitnesses GEORGE E. MORSE, HARRY M. TURK. 

